Key learning points

1. Baghdad was connected to Asia and the East through trade and exchanges of knowledge.
2. In 771 CE, the Indian astronomer Kanaka came to Baghdad, bringing the Siddhanta, a book about maths and astronomy.
3. Translating this text led to Arabic mathematicians adopting decimal numbers which spread across the medieval world.
4. Muslim scholars used Greek ideas and the influence of the Siddhanta to build observatories and invent the astrolabe.
5. Baghdad merchants traded with the Tang, making long journeys to Guangzhou to trade incense for jade, silk and ceramics.

Keywords

• Astronomer - an astronomer is a scientist who studies astronomy - the science about space, stars, planets, and everything beyond Earth

• Siddhanta - the Siddhanta was a book with a collection of important ideas and teachings in various fields like mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy

• Decimal - decimal refers to a system of numbers based on the number 10, e.g. there are ten ones in a ten, there are ten tens in a hundred, there are ten hundreds in a thousand

• Observatory - an observatory is a building specially designed for studying the moons, planets, stars and galaxies

• Incense - incense is a material, typically in the form of small pieces or sticks, that produces a pleasant smell when burned

Common misconception